Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to the theories, concepts, and ideas used in social science efforts to understand international politics. As such, it stresses theory and inference and uses historical examples and contemporary events only as illustrations to illuminate behavior in larger classes of events. We will begin the overview with the dominant theoretical paradigms in international relations and study the causes and consequences of military conflict and war. We will then explore major issues in international political economy. We will conclude the semester with a discussion of contemporary issues, including human security, environmental issues, and border politics.
